


thank you for the food

by kotaka_kun



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, azula is rude, is sokka a housewife? who knows, office worker!zuko, prank gone wrong, sokka makes a valiant effort, zuko has never had anyone cook for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24933796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/pseuds/kotaka_kun
Summary: Sokka had had time to think about why a meal cooked for him meant so much to Zuko, but for some reason, it hadn’t occurred to him that Zuko would take a home-made lunch to be a tangible display of Sokka’s love, and that made his chest tight.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 68
Kudos: 903





	thank you for the food

**Author's Note:**

> once again based off of a convo with beta-san

It started with a shitty prank. 

Not shitty in a that’s-so-terrible-how-could-you-do-that kind of way, but more of a why-did-you-think-that-that-was-a-good-prank-to-begin-with kind of way. Sokka would be the first to admit that it wasn’t his best work, and it was definitely funnier in his head. The idea had struck just as the rice cooker beeped, signaling that the rice was done. Sokka had had worse ideas, honestly, so he didn’t see the harm in a little silliness. 

He quickly plated some of the rice, and took it over to where Zuko was sitting on the sofa, and handed it to him with a spoon. 

“Here, I made you something,” he said sweetly.

Zuko blinked, looking from Sokka to the plate of rice that he held delicately. 

“You made this... for  _ me _ ?” There was the slightest lilt to Zuko’s voice that just made him sound hesitant and unsure, and Sokka tried to figure out what to make of it.

“Yeah,” he responded slowly, “Just for you.” 

The look of pure adoration that Zuko gave him was more than enough to make Sokka’s chest hurt. If he was expecting something bad in it, or if he was simply humoring Sokka, he gave no indication, and Sokka wondered if this was about to somehow backfire horribly. 

“Thank you.” Zuko picked up the spoon, and took a bite. Sokka watched as he chewed, swallowed, and gave him yet another blinding smile, as bright and as warm as the sun. “It’s really good,” he said earnestly, “I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me.” 

Sokka’s stomach flipped. 

“I mean, people have cooked me my food, but... but they didn’t  _ make  _ it  _ for _ me, you know?” Zuko went on, trying to clarify the distinction. “Is this what it’s like to have someone prepare you a meal?” 

Yeah, he fucked up.

Sokka did his best not to sigh as he crawled onto Zuko and shifted around until he was sitting in Zuko’s lap, but also giving him the biggest bear hug imaginable, plate of plain rice be damned. 

“Sokka?” Zuko tried to look at him quizzically, but Sokka just shook his head where it half rested on Zuko’s shoulder, and petulantly began to run his fingers through Zuko’s hair in the way that he knew Zuko liked. 

Sokka decided that he was going to properly cook for Zuko. He may not be the best chef, but he could try, for Zuko’s sake, because gushing this much over some plain rice was too heartbreaking to  _ not  _ think about the implications of it all. 

* * *

He’d picked out a Japanese bento box; one that was microwavable had removable compartments and could fit together when emptied to minimize the space it took up. It even came with its own bag, as well as a set of chopsticks in a case.

The day after it arrived, Sokka slipped out of bed extra early and foregoing his usual morning routine to instead start prepping in the kitchen. It took some time and finessing, but by the time Zuko woke up, he’d completed his mission. All packed up and ready to go, he set the lunch bag next to Zuko’s briefcase. 

“What’s this?” Zuko asked when he came into the kitchen, looking ready for the day. 

“Your lunch,” Sokka said, without looking up from where he was doing the dishes, “Don’t open it till your lunch break though, it’s a surprise.”

He didn’t hear a response, so he glanced over his shoulder only to do a double-take when he saw the shock and excitement written plainly on Zuko’s face. 

“You  _ made  _ me  _ lunch _ ?” 

Honestly, this man shouldn’t sound so stunned, Sokka thought to himself as he pulled him in by his tie to plant a kiss square on his lips. 

“Yeah, I did.” Zuko was positively beaming at him. Fighting the urge to pull him in for another kiss, Sokka chuckled. “Now eat your breakfast and get out the door.” He watched Zuko hurry off, and saw the supposedly discreet little glances Zuko took of the lunch bag and smiled to himself. Yeah, this had been the right thing to do. 

And then, at 7 AM sharp, Zuko was headed out the door, briefcase in one hand and lunch bag in the other. Sokka saw him to the door, giving him a kiss goodbye and bidding him a good day. 

“Love you,” Sokka hummed like he always did, but today, instead of saying it right back automatically, Zuko smiled widely, and held up his lunch bag as he pulled away.

“I know.” He wiggled it gently, as if to say  _ I’ve got the proof right here _ . “And I love you too.”    
Sokka had had time to think about why a meal cooked for him meant so much to Zuko, but for some reason, it hadn’t occurred to him that Zuko would take a home-made lunch to be a tangible display of Sokka’s love, and that made his chest tight. 

* * *

It felt like it took forever for it to be lunchtime, and Zuko was literally counting down until he could take his break. When one o’clock finally rolled around, he was so far beyond ready. Zuko opened up the bag and pulled out the bento box, excitement making him fidget in his seat. He barely spared a thought to berate himself for how childish he was being -- how could he, when he was about to open his very first hand-made home lunch? 

There were two containers, stacked like a double-decker bus, each with their own securely sealed lids. 

Opening the top one, he found a couple of heart-shaped hamburger steaks, and an assortment of veggies cut up and made into mini shish kebabs on sword-shaped toothpicks, thick slices of dashimaki tamago, and in the bottom container, he found a set of onigiri, with the nori having star-shaped holes punched out of it. 

Zuko was positive his own heart was about to beat out of his chest. Everything about his lunch screamed hand-made, and he had what must’ve been the absolute dopiest smile on his face. Sure, the hamburger looked a little burnt, and maybe a lesser man would complain about the seasoning being too strong on some things while being barely detectable on others, but to Zuko, it didn’t matter. Sokka had made all of this for him, prepared it all by hand, and he wasn’t about to waste a single bite. 

When he was done, he took a photo of the empty containers and sent it to Sokka. 

‘Thank you for the food’ he typed, adding on a prayer hands emoji before sending it. 

* * *

It was safe to say that the highlight of Zuko’s workday had quickly become his lunch break. Unpacking his lunch and peeking inside was like opening a present, and he’d quickly become enamored with the cute little decorations Sokka added in. He was only too happy to show it off to his coworkers when they asked what he was so happy about, and he took it to be admiration. For the most part, it was probably more along the lines of bewilderment and confusion, but no one was going to tell him otherwise. Besides, it was sweet that Zuko had someone at home making him these lunches. Zuko was obviously happy about it, and that was good enough of an explanation for them. 

Of course, everything changed when Azula decided to visit their department during their lunch break. 

She had taken one look at her brother’s satisfied expression as he eagerly ate his lunch -- Sokka had made spaghetti and meatballs with an asparagus and avocado salad -- and like a hawk, Azula swooped in. Zuko was so caught up in savoring every bite that he’d failed to see the impending attack. She plucked the meatball right off of his fork, and popped it in her mouth as Zuko turned to look at her, enraged. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Zuko demanded, his fierce glare being met with an even and smug look. But before Azula could think of a response, she found herself instinctively gagging, the indescribable flavor of the meatball doing a number on her taste buds. She made a face, and spit out the meatball into the closest trash can.

"Ugh, what is wrong with your mouth? The way you were eating it made me think that it was actually good." she huffed.

Zuko bristled indignantly. He would not stand for anyone criticizing what Sokka was cooking for him when they couldn’t possibly know how much it meant to him, and his sister was no exception. 

"What do you know?” he growled.

“I know well enough to not put that  _ garbage  _ in my mouth.” she sneered, not flinching even when Zuko stood abruptly to get in her face, toppling his chair as he did. The room seemed to drop several degrees in temperature as they stood there, and there would’ve no doubt been a physical fight had Mai and Ty Lee not stepped in. 

Mai ushered Zuko to the break room, and Ty Lee managed to pull Azula far enough away to start asking her what she’d dropped in for, and the rest of the office breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

* * *

And then, came the inevitable day, when Zuko arrived to work, only to realize that he’d forgotten his lunch. He froze, hand halfway into his briefcase to feel around for a bento box that wasn’t there.

Slumping back in his seat, he stared at his desk, looking utterly lost. He couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten his lunch. Sokka had packed him lunch, and he’d  _ forgotten  _ it -- just left it on the counter where it had been set out for him, all because he’d been running a little late this morning. 

Zuko knew that logically, he shouldn't be this upset by a forgotten lunch -- it wasn't like he was going to starve. He knew he could very well just head downstairs and across the street for a sandwich from the cafe or something, and it certainly wasn't the first time he'd had to buy lunch, but it was going to be the first time that he was going to have to buy something to eat since Sokka started packing his lunches. Which meant that not only was he wasting food, but he was wasting the effort that Sokka had put into preparing his lunch. He knew how early Sokka woke up these days, just to pack him lunch. Sokka might be stealthy, but Zuko was a light sleeper by nature, and Sokka slipping out of his embrace every morning was more than enough to wake him. He’d usually just lay in bed and listen to Sokka hum or sing softly to himself as he cooked, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. 

Now, he felt like the stupidest guy in the world. 

Zuko buried his face in his hands with a groan. 

He might as well just go to the vending machine downstairs for a protein bar or something. It would be just as disappointing a lunch as anything the cafe would have, seeing as it wouldn’t be Sokka’s cooking, after all. Zuko wondered when he’d come to rely so heavily on his hand-made lunches to get him through the day. 

"Zuko, you've got a visitor," Mai said abruptly, and Zuko looked across the office at her questioningly, to see her on the phone, likely with the front reception desk. He never got visitors. Unless-

He sprang up and ran to her desk, leaning in eagerly. 

"Is it Sokka?" he asked far too excitedly to play it off later, and Mai smirked knowingly.

"Yeah, it is."

"Let him up, please." he said, and she twitched at the highly unusual 'please' she'd gotten out of him, but did as he asked.

Sokka appeared in the doorway looking a little out of place, and it made sense, as he'd never had to visit Zuko at work before.

Zuko, on the other hand, was off like a rocket, practically bouncing on his heels as Sokka came in.

“Hey,” Zuko greeted him, pulling him in quickly for a sweet kiss. 

"Hey, yourself,” Sokka said with an airy laugh, clearly surprised at the reaction he was getting from his boyfriend, and in the middle of his place of work, no less. “You forgot your lunch." He held up the bag, and Zuko took it with both hands, in a way that Sokka would’ve sworn looked almost reverent. 

"Thanks for bringing it to me." Zuko smiled, his face going soft in a way that made Sokka want to kiss him again. 

“He was moping incessantly,” Mai chimed in from her desk. “Like the world was ending.” Sokka laughed, assuming she was joking, but when she didn’t laugh along, Sokka blinked. 

“What?” 

"You're the one that makes Zuko his lunches every day?" Ty Lee interrupted, appearing nearby with her head tilted to one side in apparent confusion. Sokka didn’t know it, but her confusion was shared by nearly all the others in the office as well. Zuko never went into detail about who made his lunches, much less if he was living with anyone, but seeing Zuko’s posture as he stood beside Sokka, things were quickly falling into place. 

"Yeah." 

She stared at Sokka for several moments longer, before her furrowed brow and frown gave way to a bright smile.

"No wonder Zuko’s always so protective of them. He never shares with anyone.”

“Oh yeah?” Sokka quirked a brow, turning to look at Zuko with an amused look. 

“Mhmm,” Ty Lee sang, “All he does is brag about how  _ good  _ it is, and how  _ special  _ it is, and it’s like, if you’re gonna show it off, at least let us try a  _ bite _ .” 

“Maybe it’s better that he doesn’t share,” Sokka laughed, “It’s not very tasty, I’m still learning to cook in general.” 

“Zuko doesn’t seem to think so,” Mai said flatly, though the telling curve of her lips gave away her amusement. 

Zuko stood there, cheeks flushed, but more than willing to stand his ground. Sokka’s food  _ was  _ good and special, and nothing anyone said would change that. He let himself relax a little when Sokka took his hand, an endearing look on his face that just said,  _ I know _ . 


End file.
